I'm Still Here
by Glum n Dumb Skittery
Summary: (rated for slight profanity) AU. Prom Night for the gang, Eagle's band is performing, he sends out a dedication song to a special someone. "I'm not going anywhere."


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A/N: Semi-song fic, I guess you can call it that. This is an AU fic because I couldn't think of any other way to incorporate the song without it being completely screwed. Not that this already isn't, but, hey, whatever. MKR belongs to the lovely ladies of CLAMP and I do not own "I'm Still Here", belongs to John Rzeznik and the Treasure Planet people. Good for them. Longer note at the bottom to clear up confusion.   
  
PS: The last names for the majority of the characters whose last names I couldn't find online (or I just used generic things like "Kailu" and "Sol"!) have been altered to the character's _seiyuu_ (Japanese voice actor's) last name. Forgive me!

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I'm Still Here

Graduation was drawing closer and trepidation and excitement bubbled through the air, right up in to the night sky to be amongst the Angels and the stars. A magical time, a perfect evening: Prom Night.  
  
"I can't believe it, almost half the group is gonna leave for college soon," Hououji Fuu murmured, locking vermilion eyes onto her long-time boyfriend and Prom date, Yamazaki Ferio.   
  
"Tell me about it," the green-haired lad sighed, swinging his arm around his girlfriend, giving her a sweet look, inwardly hating himself for falling for Fuu's look, which had, inevitably, persuaded him into the forest-green tuxedo currently causing him much discomfort. "At least most of us are going to the local university. Well, _most of us _being the dumb ones."

Takayama Ascot was heard crying "Hey, I resent that!" before his date for the night, Junior, Ryuuzaki Umi shushed him with a quiet giggle, her baby-blue dress gently swaying against her knees as they walked towards the gym. 

Shidou Hikaru linked hands with her long-time crush and Prom date, Kailu Lantis, as they walked with the others, excitement weighing heavy in the air. "Who's not going to the local university?"

Fuu glanced back, platinum locks, (curled especially for the special evening), falling to her shoulder. "Well, Ferio for starters." 

"No surprise there, dear," Umi teased, only to be quickly swatted at by the blonde.  
  
"Primera is too," Lantis added softly. Hikaru nodded slowly; Lantis's ex-girlfriend, a pretty little thing, but a temper to rival a hurricane.   
  
"Oh, Eagle too," Ferio added absentmindedly as they neared the gym doors, Ferio side-stepping to open the door for the others, Fuu obediently at his side.

Hikaru stepped dead in her tracks, Lantis momentarily losing his balance as his arm was tugged backwards as he tried to step forward. "But… he never told me that." The small crimson-headed girl tugged with her one free hand at her pretty pink dress of glitter. "He's my best friend, why didn't he tell me?"

Lantis gave the girl's hand a small tug, "C'mon, he was probably stalling. He knows you'd get upset." When even his sunniest smile, (the rarest of the rare kind from the big guy), didn't move his date, he softened his tone. "He's in there now, Hikaru, you can go ask him later if you want. His band's busy setting up for their performance, remember?"

The girl brightened at his words and smiled back at him, giving his hand a squeeze. "You're right, I'll talk to him before he performs."   
  
"Good, good, so you can go through the door now, right?" Fuu having already disappeared through the gym doors, Ferio stuck his tongue out at the odd couple, the insanely large tuxedo-clad Senior, Lantis, and the pixie-small Junior, Hikaru. "I ain't holding the door all night for you two, you know."

The two entered to the sight of bright-colored crepe paper of blue and silver and a large sign displaying the title of this year's Prom theme, (the ever-generic "Under the Sea" theme) hanging at one end of the gym. Small fishes, and a lone giant balloon octopus, hung from the ceiling and light fixtures, green cellophane hung from the doorways in an imitation of seaweed. Fuu giggled. "They really tried to go all-out with this, didn't they?"

"Of course! Did we succeed?" Senior Class President Fuaru Presea popped up beside them, her face flushed red and breathing as though having just finished running a marathon. "We've been working for the entire afternoon, it didn't come out so bad, did it?" The others nodded in agreement, smiles of admiration on their face at the hard-working Senior who grinned in response. "Good. I'd hate our hard work to go to waste. It's still kind of early and the band isn't ready yet, I guess you guys can sit down." Presea motioned to the various tables set up on the other side of the gym, her eyes widening as she caught sight of something before saying a quick "Have fun, I gotta go!" and dashing off.  
  
"What was that all about?" Umi mused aloud. The group didn't take long to find out as an enraged Amano Alcione, Senior Class Treasurer, went running in the direction Presea had just taken off in. "PRESEA! Get back here! You _knew _we were on a budget and you just spent an extra two-hundred on that _stupid _inflatable octopus — get back here!"

The others watched in amusement before snagging a table and watching as others trickled in, arriving in groups of their own. Thus commenced Prom Night 2004.  
  
+++

"Aw, shit… GEO!" Ogata Eagle ran a gloved hand through his more-than ruffled hair and muttered random profanities beneath his breath.  
  
"What's the problem, Chief?" Yanada Geo quirked a brow at their frustrated lead singer.  
  
"What's my problem? _That's _my problem," Eagle growled, jabbing a finger at the various empty whiskey and wine bottles happily stored in his (empty) guitar case.  
  
"Ahh… hold on just a sec. ZAZU!"   
  
Kanemaru Zazu looked up, too happy for it to be a natural high, and grinning as though he'd just won the lottery. A trash bag fitted over his hair, tied securely beneath his chin, over-sized goggles perched happily over it. Geo clucked his tongue and looked from Zazu to Eagle slowly. "OK, hate to break it to you, but our drummer is drunk."  
  
"No shit. He's slammed. Think he can still play?" Eagle slid a hand down his face, hoping the pain would slam _him _out of this nightmare.  
  
Geo shrugged, cracking his knuckles. "Ah, he's been through worse. 'Sides, the kid might, er, sober up before we go on. We're only the last forty-minutes of the dance anyway. Calm down, I'll take him outside. Try to get him back to his right frame of mind— "  
  
"Not that that's much better."  
  
"Right, right, just finish checking the instruments, we'll be back. Thirty minutes tops."  
  
"Gotcha," Eagle sighed. He paused. "Wait, why so long?"  
  
"We gotta find your guitar. If Za's drunk, it's either in a toilet somewhere or he's stuck it somewhere stupid. We'll find it."  
  
"I've decided I don't like you anymore."

"I know. I love you too." Geo winked impishly at a none-too-amused Eagle before picking up a dancing Zazu and leading him out, Zazu breaking out into a bawdy song and getting tangled in the cellophane "seaweed" door, (and succeeding in tearing half of it down) before they disappeared out of the gym, an anguished Presea holding the torn pieces of shiny green in her hands, bawling.  
  
"Great. Just… great."

"EAGLE!" The teen turned around only to be knocked over by a flying blur of pink and red. Sitting up, the once-blur now kneeling contentedly next to him, turned out to be the one and only Hikaru.  
  
"Are you OK?" She asked, smile still in place on her face.

"Fine, fine. Might've crushed my spleen, but that's about it. Nice dress."  
  
Hikaru scowled momentarily. "Hey, if I didn't have a date I'd have been happy coming in my Kendo outfit."  
  
"Tomboy."  
  
"Girly-man."  
  
Both grinned affectionately at each other before Hikaru's expression changed. To seriousness. "Hey, Eagle, why didn't you tell me you weren't going to our University?" Blunt and embarrassed, that about summed up the Hikaru of the moment.

Eagle felt the shock course through his body, but recovered quickly with a gentle smile. "Sorry." He opened his mouth to say more, but was interrupted by a panicked cry.  
  
"EAGLE! Help me! Zazu's puking his guts out outside!"  
  
Hikaru's eyes widened before she stood up and extended a hand for Eagle. He looked at her, confused. She giggled and took his hand before hoisting him up with little difficulty. "Go on, you heard the man. Zazu. Puke. Guts. Outside. Now, go!"  
  
Eagle nodded, surprised, yet not. Typical Hikaru. "Thanks." He headed towards a twitchy Geo.  
  
"Hey Eagle?"  
  
He turned back to look at the small girl. "Break a leg."  


"Yeah, sure, sure, we will. If we don't break Zazu's first," Geo called back before dragging Eagle away without another word.  
  
+++

"How'd it go with Eagle?" Lantis's brows furrowed as Hikaru merely sighed into his arms as they slow-danced to Martina McBride's "Valentine", but did not push the subject further, contenting himself with the warmth of the small girl as they rocked back and forth to the music.

The song came to an end all to soon and they clapped as the DJ came on the mic, face overly ecstatic as he introduced the last act of the night. "And now for some live entertainment, I'd like to introduce to you your own home-grown band, _Autozam_!"

The crowd went wild as a guitar wailed and lights went crazy, Eagle stepped up to the microphone, winking at the crowd. He played the opening chords of the song on his guitar before the drums blasted on to the scene. Zazu was playing with renewed energy, eyes crazy as he played out the beat; Geo was shooting occasional glares to the drummer as he rocked himself out on his bass, his shoes covered in some sort of wet substances no one cared to recognize; a late addition to the band was Geo's cousin, Kishino Lafarga, occasionally messing with a keyboard; completing the band was Eagle, strumming his (wet) guitar full-force and starting the vocals with amazing confidence, despite the toilet water clinging to his instrument.  
  
"_Ooh, this dream ended too soon, why can't we ever complete the good things in life…? You've got me tripping over myself, caught in another damn dream…"  
_

The song ended to loud cheering and applause, the band absolutely beaming. Eagle grabbed the microphone, flushing. "Thank you! We are _Autozam_ and we've got some awesome songs for you coming up. That was "Another Damn Dream" written by our own Yanada Geo," Eagle paused as loud screams, mostly from girls, started up and died out, "This next song is titled "No Answers Yet", co-written by myself and, once again, Yanada Geo."  
  
Zazu, looking a bit more awake, started up the beat and Lafarga joined in soon after. The song began.  
  
"_Just the other day, starting to wonder, starting to pray, why haven't you come over in so long, I thought we were friends…"_  
  
Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu dragged their respective dates to the very front of the stage and proceeded to singing along with the song, along with the others who were close to the band, and cheering as the beat picked up and Eagle's guitar came into play. The chorus was their crowning moment, much the to pleasure of the students.  
  
"_Why~ are you suddenly distant? Aren't we still friends? This sucks, it bites, I don't understand you at all. Am I asking all the right questions? 'Cause you have yet to answer me. And it's hard to be all-knowing, when I have no answers yet…" _The song ended to an ovation.

Several other songs followed, the band pleasing the party-happy population. Third Eye Blind's "Blinded", Foo Fighter's "Low" and Goo Goo Doll's "Slide" followed quickly, along with two of _Autozam's_ original cover songs.  
  
The night began to wind down, Prom King and Queen were announced, a popular couple that none of Hikaru's group really knew. They danced as Eagle's band played their own version of Anne Murray's "Could I Have This Dance?"   
  
The crowd immensely pumped up by the band was disappointed when Eagle brushed back stray strands of hair from his reddened face and announced that the next song would be their last song. "For the last song of tonight, we decided we'd play John Rzeznik's "I'm Still Here." I'd like to dedicate it to someone very important to me. They'll know who they are." Eagle fought to allow his eyes to stray to Umi, Fuu and Hikaru as they dragged their boys out to the dance floor for the last song of the night.

His eyes met Hikaru's momentarily and he hesitated before breaking away, cuing Zazu to start up the song. A slow rhythm was tapped out and keyboard magic was worked out before Eagle lost himself in the song.   
  
"_I am a question to the world, not an answer to be heard or a moment that's held in your arms… And what do you think you'd ever say? I won't listen anyway. You don't know me, and I'll never be what you want…me to be." _

Couples began pairing up, like Noah's Ark: The Sequel, and Eagle couldn't help but grin as even the administrators and chaperones began grabbing dance partners. It was nice to finally see the pretty English teacher, Ms. Emeraude, and the normally stuck-up History teacher, Mr. Zagato, going through with more than just flirting.  
  
"_And what do you think you'd understand? I'm a boy, no, I'm a man. You can't take me and throw me away. And how can you learn what's never show? Yeah, you stand here on your own. They don't know me 'cause I'm not here."_  
  
Needless to say, everyone was quite baffled by Eagle's dedication, all were listening intently to the lyrics, trying to pick up a clue as to who he could be singing this to, who the lucky girl could be. Some thought it fit in with the theme of graduation, not wanting to be left behind and all that. Others thought it was just a random dedication.   
  
"_And I want a moment to be real. want to touch things I don't feel, wanna hold on and feel I belong. And how can the world want me to change? They're the ones that stay the same. They don't know me 'cause I'm not here…"_

Others, like Hikaru, thought it was just a sweet dedication. Eagle always liked keeping certain things about himself private, so this dedication was a real reach for him. She overheard Fuu and Ferio quietly discussing it in whispers before their lips met and conversation ceased. Umi and Ascot were silent as they danced. And everything in the world seemed complete.   
  
"_And you see the things they never see. All you wanted - I could be. Now you know me and I'm not afraid."_  
  
"_And I want to tell you who I am. Can you help me be a man? They can't break me, as long as I know who I am." _

Hikaru's head momentarily left Lantis's shoulder. Her face twisted in to confusion. "_Can you help me be a man?_" That was the question Eagle had asked her earlier in the year. He'd sank in to a deep depression, his single mother having been diagnosed with cancer. She'd gone to his house one night, they had had a partner project, and she had discovered him in his room crying.  
  
"_And I want a moment to be real, want to touch things I don't feel, want to hold on and feel I belong. And how can the world want me to change? They're the ones who stay the same. They can't see me, but I'm still here."_

She'd hugged him tightly, unsure what to do. His story had unfolded. Eagle's father had left the family when Eagle was only four, his parting words had been "You're the man of the house now." Eagle had wanted to be anything but. Hikaru distinctly remembered Eagle's soft voice that night, as he whispered, "You won't leave me either, will you?"

  
  
"_They can't tell me who to be, 'cause I'm not what they see. Yeah, the world is still sleepin', while I keep on dreamin' for me. And their words are just whispers, and lies that I'll never believe." _Zazu really beat down his drums, but Eagle matched him volume for volume, intensity for intensity, it was an incredible song. No doubt about that.

"You okay?" Lantis whispered worriedly, and Hikaru realized where she was and who she was with again, returning back from her memories. She looked at him, suddenly wondering if this felt right.   
  
"Yeah," she whispered back softly. A smile lit her face as she remembered the exact words she'd spoken to Eagle that solemn night. "I'm not going anywhere."  
  
"_And I want a moment to be real, want to touch things I don't feel, wanna hold on and feel I belong. And how can you say I'll never change? They're the ones that stay the same. I'm the one now, 'cause I'm still here."_

"That's good to know." Lantis held her tighter, feeling happier than he had in a long while. And Hikaru smiled in the comfort of his arms.   
  
"_I'm the one, 'cause I'm still here. I'm still here_."

That's what Eagle had said too.  
  
"_I'm still here…"  
  
+++  
_

"So, Eagle, who were you playing that for anyway?" Lafarga asked as he finished packing up his keyboard, wiping away the sheen of sweat that had formed on his forehead.  
  
"Yeah, got a secret girlfriend you aren't telling us about?" Eagle raised an eyebrow at this and gave a pointed look to his drummer.  
  
"You have no rights ragging on me tonight, you stupid drunken Sophomore."

Zazu flicked the Senior off happily before taking apart the last of his drum set.

"You're not gonna tell us, are you?" Geo crossed his arms across his chest, looking directly at their lead singer.  
  
Eagle grinned. "Just an old friend."  
  
"EAGLE!" All eyes turned to the small girl in the front of a small group, beaming as bright as her fire-colored hair. The singer swung his guitar case over his shoulder and winked at the bass player. The band stared, mouths unhinged as the fair-haired man walked away towards the group, raising a hand in greeting.   
  
They watched in silence as he was greeted, in turn, with a hug from the smallest of the group and a quick peck on the cheek that tinged his pale face with just the slightest of blushes. That was enough for them to know.   
  
As they were heading out, they heard much chattering, followed quickly by Eagle's laughter. "Don't worry," he chuckled, "I've just decided: I'm not going anywhere…"  
  
  
-**end-**

  
**A/N: **You all do not know how hard I fought with myself not to make Hikaru a Sophomore. Seeing as she's supposed to be the same age as Umi and Fuu. Phooie. Anyways, yay! This turned out all right. I was killing myself over deciding if I wanted a Lantis/Hikaru or an Eagle/Hikaru ending. In the end, she's still with Lantis, oh well. And just tell me you can't see Eagle rocking out with a guitar on a gym stage. ^_^   
  
Err, oh yeah. The original "Autozam" songs were originally parts of these poems I wrote but were tweaked a bit. I think they're stupid so won't post their entirety here or anywhere.

Hopefully this turned out all right, it came out a bit longer than I'd hoped for. Bit OOC here and there, hopefully you all won't grind me for that.   
  
Review please! Cheers!


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